Rhonda was flicking through moldy tomes during a foggy morning following two days and two nights of wonderful rest in her father’s study. It had taken her some time to remember the exact layout of her character’s home, but her implanted memories were getting sharper now.

The memories were quite specific. They focused on her and her family and what sort of life she had lived. She had been spoiled, yes, but she had inherently good morals. She had treated smaller beings kindly even though she was quite a bratty showoff who was sometimes inclined to eat a few of them due to her voracious hunger, apparently. She had been well behaved enough not to eat guests of Lord Scogof and Lady Scadyia, her servants, or the commoners… she had eaten a merchant’s horse once and received a dozen lashings for it.

Despite that little quirk, she had a wondrous background centuries ago, but it did not tell her more of the world beyond and how she had come to be centuries removed from her childhood. She could, of course, learn it from the System, but she refused to ask for any more help from it. Now she was searching in vain for more information in the very room she had first awoken in.

The centuries had not been favorable with the tomes, just like they hadn’t with the manor. The pages were glued together or crumbled; the spines were unraveled; the ink was faded. Rhonda then turned her attention to pilfering the ruins of her father’s desk. She found scrolls that could’ve contained maps, but they too were ruined by the years.

Rhonda frowned, placing her cestus-gloved fists on the chainmail draping down from her hips. Before returning to the start of her new life, she had searched the armory casually for clothes that would fit her. The relaxed effort was rewarded with multiple boons.

She was now adorned in a [Noble Giant Progeny Gambeson], [Noble Giant Progeny Wool Trousers], [Noble Giant Progeny Chainmail Skirt], [Noble Giant Progeny Boots], [Noble Giant Progeny Prankration Cestus Gloves], [Noble Giant Progeny Pelt], and a [Noble Giant Progeny Satchel of Holding] that was enchanted with dimensional pocket space magic. This was all included with two special items that may have been gifts from her parents⁠—a chilling [Locket of the Hard Ice] and a smoky [Belt of the Soft Blaze]—the items emitting inherent elemental power.

Other than the satchel, the locket, and the belt, each item netted her a 2% defensive increase against slashing and fire damages. When combined as a whole set, they doubled the defensive properties to 24%. All of this information was informed to her immediately by the System. It was an automatic response it had no control over when she Identified the items, which humored her since it interrupted the System’s pushy request.

Additionally, as soon as she had punched around to test the fit of her gloves and practice techniques taught by her father, she gained a new quirk⁠—Basic Martial Arts.

Another bonus to the clothing was how tightly the outfit fitted her without restraining her movement. They hugged her curves nicely, especially around the front and the back. And they looked, in Londa’s words, badasssssss!

The main clothing was the color of gorgeous ebony while trimmed with fiery red and icy blue lines. The dual trims paralleled each other as symbols of her father and mother’s respective elements. They stood out nicely against the black, especially the furry pelt with its embellishments made of thicker, more pronounced threading. Overall, the outfit provided a powerful lesson to all who would lay eyes upon her gorgeous form:

One must be appropriately dressed for adventure and fashion.

While she was digging up enchanted gear that survived the ages, Rhonda took the time to snip her hair using the smallest knife she could find and a mirror. It had been a horrid job, but it had to be done since her mane was going uncared for. The result replaced Rhonda’s natty tangles with short lamb-like curls.

Clumsy, but cute.

The knife that did the work fitted her hand better than any weapon down there. It was a [Noble Giant Progeny Survivor’s Knife], and it had netted her the quirk Basic Knife Handling when she used it for her hair.

It also had a superbly unique enchantment called [Boost Thrust]. When closing the distance on a foe she wanted to stab, Rhonda could evoke the enchantment and give herself a large boost in agility. This was fantastic.

Londa had asked a good series of questions when Rhonda stumbled upon this discovery: What does large, extra-large, or whatever boost mean? Like, seriously, how is it different compared to percentage increases? If it’s additive rather than multiplicative, where does the addition come from?

Rhonda would’ve liked to answer that question herself. But there were limits to her increase in Intellect. Language-wise, yes, she scored big with little investment. There were probably other gains, such as her critical thinking when given sufficient context or her intuitive ability to solve mismatches in a fight. But she couldn’t discern the meaning of these complex game mechanics right off the bat because they were still alien to her.

Despite the missing knowledge, Rhonda refrained from asking the System. Rhonda was certain it would be solved in the future.

The knife itself joined the other gear on her person. It was sheathed in a black horizontal scabbard strapped to the small of her back. The knife’s handle was also black, sans the gems embedded into the pommel's opposite sides. One side had a ruby. The other had a sapphire.

Father, Mother, I am yet to know the truth of our relations that seem either false or highly estranged. However the background story goes, you clearly wanted me to have these.

Rhonda grimaced. She narrowed her eyes on the gunmetal gray clouds outside of the studies window. Her blood was boiling as her sudden bout of anger rose in heat.

M-mistress? What’s wrong?

This gear was here the whole time, Londa, Rhonda said. Right beneath my feet was the gear of my chosen character that I should’ve found from the start. Why is it that the System chose to keep hush over the items?

Mmmmmmm. Hmmmmmm! Ahhhhhhhhhh! To make you codependent on the System! But these are, like, starter items, right?

Powerful starter items.

Yeah, okay, but why not let you start in those and then give you more stuff?

To break me in a little. Rhonda settled her foot on a plank of wood. To make me akin to a wild animal that they’ll capture and domesticate. She pressed down on the plank and snapped it into splinters. To take me from zero to hero so suddenly I’m dizzied by it, and before I know what’s truly happening, I’m trained, indebted, and addicted to the System.

Sounds like… sounds like I’ve been there, Londa said lowly. I remember more of my past, Rhonda. I’m… I’m not ready to talk about it just yet. But everything you’re saying, I’ve experienced it. But without the chance of being a hero.

Rhonda’s anger dispersed. My dear… She wished she could hug Londa physically. The best she could do was imagine Londa as a little human. Then she hugged that imagery and held it close to her bigger body like one showing adoration to a little sibling.

I’m sorry, Rhonda. We should be focused on you.

Do not apologize, Londa. I exist to care for you as you support me, remember?

Oh… okay. Well, let’s move on, please. Londa seemed to perk up quickly. So, uh… this situation got me thinking about how the System mentions stuff like following SOP. Maybe there is a list of tactics to demoralize the candidate, then bring them up, prepping them for their role.

Rhonda paced around the study, her hand gripping her chin. They aim to acquire candidates that aren’t strong and spirited. They want moldable, mediocre simpletons. Anyone with a strong will would not agree to these demands.

But the price of not agreeing gets that stupid, dumb-dumb Administrator on your back! By the way, that jerk should be kissing the ground you walk on, my goddess.

I would rather keep such an irredeemable fool far from my person unless they are made suitable for consumption. Rhonda sighed, shaking her head. Since we’re on the subject of the Administrator, would it be ridiculous to think that he’s a puppet of the System?

Wait… are you saying?

That we may not be dealing with two opposing entities.

But one with multiple crazy faces that tries to play good cop, bad cop with candidates? Londa’s body was trembling in Rhonda’s envisioning of the helpful companion. Ummmm… Big R, that’s a whole lot of crazy.

Rhonda clenched a trembling fist to her chest. No matter if they are two entities, an organization, or faces of the same coin, I will not be enslaved, Londa. You’ve given me existence to enjoy my life, not to do work for others who will knowingly abuse me! If I am to lend my time and energy to others, they must serve my need to do as I please.

Or they’re fun to hang out with, and we like them. Is there room for that?

While that is highly altruistic, there’s room for it as long as it isn’t too tiring.

So, what now?

Rhonda licked her lips. We leave, my dear. I’ve ignored my hunger for long enough, and now I must feast. We’ll go out of the foyer.

Ohh! Ohhh! Londa shrilled. I forgot about this, but I was thinking we can leave in a way more badass way.

Rhonda listened to Londa’s idea. The companion had wanted to mention this for a long time, apparently, but it kept slipping her mind due to the violent circumstances surrounding them. A smile crossed Rhonda’s face now that it had been brought to light.

Moments later, she punched a hole through the wall under the window of her father’s study. Her glove-protected fists crumbled stone and scattered them out of her way. She kicked to widen the hole along the bottom before finding herself on the outside for the first time in this life.

Rhonda’s eyes widened with wonder as she started to absorb the vivid details of the outside world. Before she could adequately put it into words, the blasted System interrupted her.